Protective Cover

ABSTRACT

A protective cover is comprised of a flexible material, such as natural latex, and may be colored or may include a design. A hole may be included for inserting a straw or as a drinking spout, and the hole may be reinforced. The protective cover may be comprised of a central circular portion and a circumferential side portion and may be sized for fitting bar glasses. An edge on the side portion may be formed by folding the edge over itself and adhering the folded layers together, providing a resilient elastic band for retaining the protective cover on a glass.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field relates to covers on cups and glasses.

BACKGROUND

Hard plastic caps and covers are known that protect beverages from spilling. Many of these are disposable, but adoption of hard plastic caps and covers in cocktail and bar settings has not proven popular or acceptable.

There is a danger in leaving a drink with an open top on a counter, table or even when held that a foreign substance may be introduced into the drink, such as an intoxicant, date rape drug, illegal drug or a bug.

SUMMARY

A protective cover comprises a flexible material, such as natural latex, synthetic rubber or flexible plastic membrane. The protective cover may be formed in a cup-shape having an inner circular portion that may be substantially flat and a circumferential portion extending circumferentially around the circular portion. The edge of the circumferential portion may comprise an elastic band. The elastic band may be formed of a material different than the flexible material of the cover or may be comprised of the flexible material rolled a plurality of times to form an outer edge of the material integrally forming an elastic band.

A hole may be provided in the flexible material to allow a straw to be inserted through the hole. For example, a diameter of the hole may be selected such that a seal is formed around the straw, such that tipping the glass or sloshing the liquid in a glass does not result in a spill, when the protective cover is placed on a glass filled with a beverage. The hole may be reinforced either by a framing element added around the hole or around a portion of the material defining the hole. In one example, the reinforcement is by a thickening of the material around the hole. In one example an additional hole, which may be the same size or a different size than the first hole, is added. This second hole may be for sipping from the cover, while the first hole may be provided for use with a straw. Each hole may have a sealable tab extending over the hole, which may be peeled away. The sealable tab may be made of the same material as the cover or a different material. For example, the sealable tab may comprise a transparent plastic material, such as polyethylene, a foil, such as an aluminum foil, a latex material, such as the same material from which the cover is made, and combinations of these. In one example, the sealable tab has a tacky substance on a portion of a surface in contact with the cover. The sealable tab may have no tacky substance on another portion of the tab. The tacky substance may be a tacky polymer material, such as the materials used for sticking credit cards to paper, which are referred to as pressure sensitive adhesives. A convenient way of applying pressure sensitive adhesives is using a substrate on which the dots are removably adhered, such as a silicone release liner with a fugitive adhesive or pressure sensitive adhesive releasable extruded onto the release liner. One portion of the tab, without any tacky substance added or with a masking material covering the tacky substance, may be provided as a lift tab portion to allow the sealable tab to be easily removed by a user of the cover. In this way, the cover may have a plurality of holes, sealed by sealable pull tabs, allowing the user to select one or more holes for use with a straw or for sipping. In one example, the degree of tackiness of the adhesive applied is varied, such that one portion of the sealable pull tab is bound tightly to the cover, while the remaining tacky material allows the sealable pull tab to be repeatedly repositioned over the hole, when the user of the cover is not sipping his or her drink.

Three manufacturers and eight designs were tested. All of the initial designs failed to provide the desired qualities of sealing an ordinary glass bar glass while providing a through-hole for a straw. Unexpectedly, a preferred example seals a bar glass from spillage even when the drink is held upside down for a short period with a straw inserted into the drink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a top plan view of an example of a protective cover.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side plan view of the example illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed view of an example of a hole with a washer.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detail of a pull tab, washer and a portion of a cover with a hole in an exploded view.

FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of a cover with a plurality of pull tabs.

FIG. 6 illustrates a detail of a washer.

FIG. 7 illustrates a detail of a pull tab.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In FIG. 1, a flexible material having a thickness t is shown that has a substantially flat, circular portion 13 with a circular diameter D. A straw hole 11 is disposed off center in the circular portion 13 and has a hole diameter d. A rolled edge 14 is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 2, the rolled edge 14 is the outer edge of circumferential side 12 extending from the circular portion 13 a height H, which side 12 extends cup-like from the circular portion 13 of the protective cover 10 between the circular portion 13 and the rolled edge 14. The flexible material may be a latex or other flexible elastic material or rubber. The material may be colored in a variety of colors, as is known in the art, such as by adding colorants to the material used in forming the covers. In one example, the covers are packaged together in a variety of colors, allowing users to select there preferred color, which helps to identify a user's drink from others' drinks. In another example, each cover is packaged in an individual protective package, and the color of the cover is reflected by the same color being shown on the protective package. In one example, the protective package is a foil, such as an aluminum foil or film, which may be combined with a layer of paper or plastic In one example, the edge 14 is a flat rim prepared by folding natural latex over itself three times and curing it to bind the layers of the rim together.

In one example, the straw hole 11 diameter d was selected to be less than 0.1875 inches 0.48 centimeters, preferably 0.075 inches to 0.095 inches (1.9 mm to 2.4 mm), which fit the largest variety of straw sizes and provided a seal around the straw preventing leaking between the straw and the flexible material. In one example, the straw hole 11 is off-center, such that the hole is close enough to the edge to allow sipping of a drink from a bar glass. In one example, the hole diameter is 0.075 inches (1.9 mm).

In one example, the diameter D of the circular portion 13 is selected to be in a range from 2 inches to 3.75 inches (5.1 cm to 9.5 cm), more preferably 2.45 inches to 2.55 inches (6.2 cm to 6.5 cm), which provides for a seal on most bar glasses that prevent leaking of liquid between the protective cover 10 and the lip of a bar glass over which the protective cover is stretched. In one example, the diameter is 2.75 inches (about 7 cm) and the hole is located 0.833 inches from the nearest edge of the circular portion 13.

In one example, the height H of the circumferential side portion 12 of the protective cover 10 is selected to be greater than 0.85 inches (2.2 cm), more preferably in a range from 0.9 inches to 1.5 inches (2.3 cm to 3.8 cm), most preferably 1 inch to 1.25 inches (2.5 cm to 3.2 cm), which provides a side height H that prevents the protective cover 10 from snapping and flying off of the most common sizes of bar glasses. In one example, the height is 4.25 inches (3.2 cm).

In one example, the thickness t of the material of the protective cover 10 is substantially uniform and is selected in a range from 0.005 inches to 0.1 inches (0.13 mm to 2.5 mm), more preferably 0.005 inches to 0.01 inches (0.13 mm to 0.25 mm), most preferably 0.005 inches to 0.0074 inches (0.13 mm to 0.19 mm), which provides an optimal thickness of natural latex capable of being stretched over a larger selection of the most common bar glasses. In one example, the thickness is 0.01 inches (0.25 mm) and the material is natural latex.

In one example, a washer 21 surrounds a hole 11 in the circular portion 13. The washer maintained the shape of the hole and allowed a straw to be easily inserted. However, the washer failed to keep liquid from leaking between the straw and the washer. FIGS. 4-6 illustrate an alternative embodiment of a cover 40 that includes a washer assembly 41. In one example, the hole in a washer assembly 41 is made larger than the hole 42 in the material of the cover 40. The washer assembly 41 may include the washer 21, itself, which may be made of an elastic material, which may be the same material as the cover or a different material. The washer 21 is applied to the cover using a pressure sensitive adhesive layer 61 of the washer assembly 41. In one example, the washer assembly 41 includes a sealable pull tab 43 resealably adhered to the washer 41 with a pressure sensitive adhesive ring 45, such as a Glue Dots® pressure sensitive adhesive, having a low tackiness. A second pressure sensitive adhesive ring 61 with a higher degree of tackiness may be applied to the surface of the washer 21 that adheres to the cover 40, for example. This allows the pull tab 43 to be peeled back from or pulled free from the washer 21 without the washer 21 being removed from the cover 40. For example, the pull tab 43 includes a portion 44 that extends beyond the outer perimeter of the washer for use by the user of the cover in peeling back or removing the pull tab 43, which may be adhesively engageable in an open position by application of pressure sensitive adhesive or may be removable or both. A pressure sensitive retainer 48 may be made of a pressure sensitive material with very low tackiness and may be disposed on a surface of the cover at a location convenient for retaining the pull tab 43 when peeled back but not disengaged from the washer 21.

FIGS. 6-7 illustrate another example of a pull tab 47, which is directly adhered to a cover 40 without the need of an intervening washer 21. In this example, the pull tab 47 includes an adhesive layer 75 and a masking layer 77 that covers a portion of the adhesive layer 75, where the pull tab 47 covers a hole in the cover 40.

TABLE I Examples D t washer d hole H Ex. (cm) (mm) (cm) (mm) position material band (cm) 1 7.6 — 1.5 4.8 center plastic 0.64 2.5 rubber 2 7.6 0.18 1.5 4.8 center natural latex 5 x rolled 1.3 3 6.4 0.25 — — — natural latex 5 x rolled 0 4 6.4 0.23 — — — natural latex 5 x rolled 0 5 6.4 0.13 — 4.8 center natural latex 5 x rolled 0.85 6 6.4 0.13 — 2.4 off-center natural latex 5 x rolled 2.5 7 6.4-7.6 0.13-0.25 — 1.9-2.4 off-center natural latex rolled 2.5-3.8 5-6 x 8 7.0-9.5 0.13-2.54 — 1.9-2.4 off-center natural latex rolled 2.5-4.5 5-6 x

TABLE II Example Results Ex. Results 1 Failed—leakage between hole and straw; rubber band fixed to glass side but plastic ripped away 2 Failed—leakage between hole and straw; protective cover snapped away and flew from glass 3 Failed—excessive thickness to stretch over most glasses; snapped away and flew from glass 4 Failed—excessive thickness to stretch over most glasses; snapped away and flew from glass 5 Failed—hole size stretches during fitting on glass and leakage caused between hole and straw; height of side wall portion too shallow; snapped away and flew from glass 6 SUCCESS 7 SUCCESS 8 SUCCESS 

1. A protective cover comprises: a flexible material having a circular portion; a hole disposed off center of the circular portion within the center portion; a circumferential side extending in a direction extending from a circumference of the circular portion; and an edge formed on a distal end of the side away from the circular portion.
 2. The cover of claim 1, wherein the flexible material is a natural latex.
 3. The cover of claim 2, wherein the natural latex is colored.
 4. The cover of claim 1, further comprising a pull tab, wherein the pull tab covers the hole.
 5. The cover of claim 1, wherein the hole has a diameter selected in a range less than 0.48 centimeters.
 6. The cover of claim 5, wherein the hole diameter is selected in a range of 1.9 millimeters to 2.4 millimeters.
 7. The cover of claim 6, wherein the hole diameter is 1.9 millimeters.
 8. The cover of claim 6, wherein the circular portion has a diameter selected in a range of 5.1 centimeters to 9.5 centimeters.
 9. The cover of claim 8, wherein the circular portion diameter is selected in a range of 6.2 centimeters to 6.5 centimeters.
 10. The cover of claim 9, wherein the circular portion diameter is about 7 centimeters.
 11. The cover of claim 9, wherein a height of the circumferential side is selected in a range of greater than 2.2 centimeters.
 12. The cover of claim 11, wherein the circumferential side height is selected in a range of 2.3 centimeters to 3.8 centimeters.
 13. The cover of claim 12, wherein the circumferential side height is selected in a range of 2.5 centimeters to 3.2 centimeters.
 14. The cover of claim 13, wherein the circumferential side height is 3.2 centimeters.
 15. The cover of claim 13, wherein the flexible material has a thickness selected in a range of 0.13 millimeters to 2.5 millimeters.
 16. The cover of claim 15, wherein the flexible material thickness is selected in a range of 0.13 millimeters to 0.25 millimeters.
 17. The cover of claim 16, wherein the flexible material thickness is 0.25 millimeters.
 18. The cover of claim 1, further comprising a washer, wherein the washer surrounds the hole.
 19. The cover of claim 18, further comprising a pull tab sealably disposed on the washer and covering the hold, wherein the pull tab is removable by pulling on the pull tab.
 20. The cover of claim 1, wherein the flexible material has a thickness selected in a range of 0.13 millimeters and 0.25 millimeters and the circular portion has a diameter selected in a range of 5.1 centimeters to 9.5 centimeters.
 21. The cover of claim 1, wherein the flexible material has a thickness selected in a range of 0.13 millimeters and 0.25 millimeters, and the edge is formed by folding the distal end of the circumferential side over itself
 22. The cover of claim 21, wherein the distal end is folded over three times.
 23. The cover of claim 22, wherein the flexible material is natural latex, and the edge is cured after it is formed, such that a flat rim is formed by binding folded layers of the edge together during curing. 